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2019 Hyundai Kona Electric problems & recalls

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric and owners have filed 54 complaints. The most-reported area is electrical system (42 complaints). 2 complaints describe a fire and 2 complaints describe a crash. 2 recalls tell owners to park outside until it is fixed.

Other model years:202520242023202220212020
Recalls
3
Complaints
54
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
2
Injuries
1

Recalls (3)

Mar 1, 2021#21V127000⚠ Park outside

Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric and 2020 Ioniq Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.

Risk: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.

Fix: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the interim action is complete. Hyundai will notify owners, and as an interim action, owners have the option to follow provided instructions to perform a battery update through the vehicle's infotainment system or request a Hyundai dealer to provide the update. Once parts are available, dealers will inspect the Battery System Assembly (BSA), and replace it if necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk, and the interim action, with a letter mailed April 9, 2021. Final owner notification letters were mailed June 17, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 200.

Dec 1, 2020#20V748000

Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Electric › Control module › Software

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Nexo Fuel Cell and 2019-2021 Kona Electric vehicles. The Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) system may detect an abnormal sensor signal and as a result, may significantly reduce braking performance.

Risk: Reduced braking power could lengthen the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the IEB software, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 199.

Oct 13, 2020#20V630000⚠ Park outside

Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery › Management system/energy control module (bms/becm) › Software

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Kona Electric vehicles. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery may short-circuit.

Risk: An electrical short in the Li-ion battery increases the risk of a fire.

Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the Battery Management System (BMS) software and inspect the Li-ion battery, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the repair is complete. The recall began November 13, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 196.

Owner complaints (54)

What owners reported to NHTSA, by component. One complaint can name several components.

  • Electrical system42
  • Fuel/propulsion system10
  • Engine5
  • Power train5
  • Service brakes4
  • Unknown or other4
  • Vehicle speed control1
  • Forward collision avoidance1
  • Wheels1

Complaints over time

Jan 2020: 1 complaintFeb 2020: 0 complaintsMar 2020: 0 complaintsApr 2020: 0 complaintsMay 2020: 0 complaintsJun 2020: 0 complaintsJul 2020: 0 complaintsAug 2020: 0 complaintsSep 2020: 0 complaintsOct 2020: 0 complaintsNov 2020: 0 complaintsDec 2020: 1 complaintJan 2021: 1 complaintFeb 2021: 1 complaintMar 2021: 0 complaintsApr 2021: 1 complaintMay 2021: 8 complaintsJun 2021: 5 complaintsJul 2021: 4 complaintsAug 2021: 6 complaintsSep 2021: 3 complaintsOct 2021: 0 complaintsNov 2021: 4 complaintsDec 2021: 0 complaintsJan 2022: 4 complaintsFeb 2022: 1 complaintMar 2022: 1 complaintApr 2022: 2 complaintsMay 2022: 1 complaintJun 2022: 0 complaintsJul 2022: 1 complaintAug 2022: 0 complaintsSep 2022: 0 complaintsOct 2022: 1 complaintNov 2022: 0 complaintsDec 2022: 0 complaintsJan 2023: 0 complaintsFeb 2023: 0 complaintsMar 2023: 0 complaintsApr 2023: 1 complaintMay 2023: 1 complaintJun 2023: 0 complaintsJul 2023: 0 complaintsAug 2023: 0 complaintsSep 2023: 2 complaintsOct 2023: 0 complaintsNov 2023: 0 complaintsDec 2023: 0 complaintsJan 2024: 0 complaintsFeb 2024: 0 complaintsMar 2024: 0 complaintsApr 2024: 0 complaintsMay 2024: 0 complaintsJun 2024: 0 complaintsJul 2024: 0 complaintsAug 2024: 0 complaintsSep 2024: 0 complaintsOct 2024: 0 complaintsNov 2024: 0 complaintsDec 2024: 0 complaintsJan 2025: 1 complaintFeb 2025: 1 complaintMar 2025: 0 complaintsApr 2025: 0 complaintsMay 2025: 0 complaintsJun 2025: 0 complaintsJul 2025: 0 complaintsAug 2025: 1 complaintSep 2025: 1 complaint20212022202320242025
Complaints filed per month. Peak: 8 in May 2021. Hover a bar for its count.
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Recent owner reports

Sep 18, 2025Vehicle speed control⚠ Crash

The contact owned a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the vehicle accelerated rapidly through a busy intersection on its own and would not slow or stop, despite the brake pedal being depressed. As a result, the contact briefly lost control of the vehicle as it swerved left to right, only coming to a complete stop after colliding with another vehicle. The air bags did deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a storage facility and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was file…

Aug 15, 2025Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine⚠ Fire

Component Failed: Electric transmission/drive unit failed twice before 150,000 miles. Still in vehicle, available for inspection. Safety Risk: Loss of propulsion while driving creates risk of being rear-ended or stranded in dangerous traffic conditions. Right now the car is not drivable Confirmed By: Problem confirmed by Hyundai dealership/service center on both failures. Inspection: Inspected by authorized Hyundai service center; manufacturer was notified. Warning Symptoms: Before the failure there was a screeching sound coming from the hood. In both failures, these warnings appeared sh…

Feb 18, 2025Power train

-the gear drive was diagnosed as needed to be replaced -the GRU may lock up during driving causing the vehicle to stop -dealer confirmed needs replacing -no warnings or lights on vehicle, it was noticed that the vehicle made a louder noise while driving but could be confused with tires or normal air noise while driving.

Jan 18, 2025Electrical system

The Charging unit made by Enel X called a JuiceBox 40 failed to complete a charge. Upon examination of the charger it was determined that the plug from the unit to the 240V receptacle was fused to the outlet and could not be removed. When my electrician opened the box he was able to force the plug out of the outlet. He found that the plug was burned as well as the copper wire that went to the plug from the electrical box.

Sep 30, 2023Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance

I started directing the car to the side of the road to park. As I was guiding the car to a stop, with my foot on the brake, I was about 12 ft. from the car in front of me when the car suddenly accelerated. The vehicle accelerated for approximately 10 ft. before the anti-collision system auto-braked the car just prior to impacting the car in front of me.

Sep 15, 2023Engine, Fuel/propulsion system

The vehicle began making a clicking/ticking sound under acceleration and deceleration. The noise progressively worsened until The dealer diagnosed the motor as failing internally and replaced it under warranty. Several people online in forums have experienced the same issue, some cases resulted in the reduction gear catastrophically failing causing the vehicle to suddenly stop accelerating. I worry that this issue may result in more sudden drivetrain failures because of how widespread the problem is. Hyundai does not seem to have a definite solution as the noise comes back for many owners.

May 3, 2023Service brakes, Power train⚠ Crash

The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff without any warning, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle drove into a parking lot. The contact desperately pressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not stop. The contact jumped out of the vehicle and the vehicle struck a pole, causing minor damages to the bumper of the vehicle. The contact had minor injuries but did not seek medical attention. The contact mentioned being shocked after the events. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to…

Apr 25, 2023Electrical system, Engine

I purchased a 2019 Hyundai Kona electric from dealership. They said they had to change the electric battery before selling it to us and now the emergency light went on the dash we brought it back to the dealership and they said the battery the installed is not safe and will take 6 months to get a new one and are not giving us a car to drive.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall and complaint records, updated Oct 1, 2026. Complaints are owner reports and are not verified by NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.